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The One With The Fertility Test
"The One With The Fertility Test" is the twenty-first episode of season nine of Friends. It aired on May 1, 2003. Plot Rachel receives a gift certificate to get a free massage at a chain massage center, which Phoebe doesn't want her to take advantage of as she feels it takes away business from independent massage therapists like herself. What Phoebe doesn't tell Rachel is that she's one of the employees at the very same massage center. However, she has a hard time concealing her identity to Rachel, her client, during her massage. Unfortunately for Phoebe, Rachel recognizes her as her masseuse due to seeing Phoebe's new shoes which she showed her earlier. Joey's having a great time with Charlie, who is new to the city. She asks him to show her around, but the places she wants to visit make Joey's tour impossible for him, as she wants to visit museums about which he knows pretty much nothing. He asks Ross to help him with the tour, and he actually memorizes a script of the most important works of art. The tour works great, except that Joey takes the left path instead of the right and talks to Charlie about paintings which are not present. Ross explains to Charlie that Joey did this because he's crazy about her and he thinks it's important to her. Monica and Chandler, who have been trying to have a baby for a year with no success, decide to go to a fertility study. The couple meet Janice, who Chandler talks to after "depositing his specimen". Although Chandler is quite sure that everything is all right with him and Monica, he's still nervous about the results. Later, he receives a call from Dr Connelly, who explains the truth - due to the low motility of Chandler's sperm and Monica's inhospitable environment (uterus), the two are very unlikely to conceive kids naturally. Although both very upset, Monica and Chandler resolve to find another way to have kids. Cast and Crew Main Cast Jennifer Aniston - Rachel Greene Courteney Cox - Monica Geller Lisa Kudrow - Phoebe Buffay Matt LeBlanc - Joey Tribbiani Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing David Schwimmer - Ross Geller Supporting Cast Debra Azar - Tara (the spa receptionist) Myra Turley - Nurse Aisha Tyler - Charlie Wheeler Maggie Wheeler - Janice Litman Goralnik Crew Directed By: Gary Halvorson Written By: Scott Silveri & Robert Carlock Trivia General * When Ross describes the layout of the Met to Joey, it is mostly true to the real layout. The Egyptian exhibits are indeed directly to the right upon entering the Museum's great hall. The Mesopotamian exhibit however, is located up the grand staircase and to the left. *Monica and Chandler discover that they can't have kids. This is why Courteney's real pregnancy towards the end of next season couldn't be accounted for in the episodes. *Jennifer Aniston is wearing a bandage on her left wrist. *Chandler objects to using a cup for his fertility test. This is a callback to Joey's 'science experiment' in "The One Where Rachel Finds Out" when he took place in a sperm test. *Ikea, the name Phoebe uses when she tries to trick Rachel, is actually banned in Sweden because it's the name of a popular Swedish furnishings store. *Chandler mentions barcaloungers. Chandler and Joey owned a pair of these but were broken while Rachel lived with Joey in The One Where Rosita Dies. *Rachel and Monica have a conversation about why she cares so much about how Joey and Charlie are doing. Rachel and Monica had a similar conversation after Rachel learns that Ross and Emily are in Vermont in The One With Joey's Dirty Day. *Rachel rather awkwardly states that "Ross is the father of my child and I want him to hook up with other women", the very thing she used to use against him. However on this occasion it's because she wants to be with Joey. *Monica tells Chandler he should "know your audience". In the uncut version of The One With The Secret Closet, when Ross and Rachel are discussing the pros and cons of her moving in, Ross states "you can have an entire closet for shoes" to which Rachel replies "oh, you do know your audience!" Goofs *Monica tells Chandler that they have been trying to have a baby for over a year. They started trying the day that Emma was born, but they don't celebrate Emma's first birthday until The One With The Cake in Season 10. *While Phoebe is massaging Rachel (as Ikea) she calls Rachel "a high maintenance tight-ass" but in "The One With The Joke" in season 6, the girls' storyline revolves around Phoebe picking Rachel over Monica as her hypothetical girlfriend because Rachel is more easy going while Monica is too high maintenance. Then again, the episode also determined that Phoebe is flaky and will say anything. *When Charlie is explaining to Joey what she had done all day, the wine glass switches from her hand to being on the table next to her between shots. *When Monica asks Rachel "Why do you care so much" Rachel's hands' positions change. *When Ross begins suggesting places where Joey could take Charlie, his right arm is on the couch's arm. In the next take, his both arms are together. * Chandler mentions Monica's class trip to the Hershey Factory. Hershey Factory tours ended in 1973 when Chocolate World was opened giving simulated factory tours on an automated ride. Monica wouldn't have been old enough to go to the factory on a class trip. * The episode opens with the gang talking about Joey kissing Charlie at the party "last night". However, the end of the previous episode showed Chandler tricking Monica and Phoebe into attending the one woman theater show. Monica and Phoebe are wearing different clothes, so they must have attended this after the first scene of this episode, but it is never mentioned again. * When Ross begins talking with Charlie after her museum date, a book (A Guide to New York? ) mysteriously appears in his hands, then disappears, reappears and finally disappears again as Charlie and Joey leave. * After Rachel tells Phoebe "but I'm still going hunting" she starts to turn towards Monica but in the next shot Rachel's starting to turn again. External links * The One with the Fertility Test at the Internet Movie Database Episode Navigation Category:Friends Episodes Category:Season 9 Category:Episodes Category:Season 9 Episodes